Israel said on Tuesday it would not retreat from positions on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and in other areas across the border, amid reports of advanced talks between Jerusalem and Damascus on reaching security arrangements along the sensitive frontier.

The comments from Defense Minister Israel Katz came a day after Syria condemned what it said was a “dangerous escalation” by dozens of Israeli troops who allegedly carried out an incursion east of the Mount Hermon foothills.

Syrian media reported fresh violence on Tuesday morning as Israel allegedly shelled a home in the village of Tranjah, north of Quneitra near the border with the Golan Heights.

Reports said one person was killed in the attack on a home in the village, describing the fatality as a “young man,” indicating he was not a member of Syria’s security forces. Pictures showed damage to part of the second floor of what appeared to be an unoccupied home.

There was no comment from the Israel Defense Forces on the alleged strike.

Writing on X, Katz said “the IDF will remain on the summit of [Mount] Hermon and in the security zone that is vital to defending communities in the Golan and Galilee from threats emanating from the Syrian side.”

Israel’s need to maintain a presence there is a “central lesson from the events of October 7,” said the minister, who has previously vowed to keep troops atop Mount Hermon indefinitely.

Thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, catching the military off guard as they rampaged through communities near the Gaza border. Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attacks, while 251 were abducted into Gaza.

According to Israel, a similar invasion of the........

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